BIMA Blog » Govt policyhttp://blog.bima.co.uk
BIMA's weblogThu, 30 Jul 2015 11:08:44 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1TIGA and BIMA Call for Tax Relief Scheme for the creative industryhttp://blog.bima.co.uk/tiga-and-bima-call-for-tax-relief-scheme-for-the-creative-industry/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/tiga-and-bima-call-for-tax-relief-scheme-for-the-creative-industry/#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 09:10:46 +0000http://blog.bima.co.uk/?p=3762More Info]]>We’ve joined forces with TIGA, the trade body for games developers and digital publishers, to call on the government to launch a training tax relief scheme for small to medium size businesses in the creative industries.

We believe the launch of a pilot SME Training Tax Relief (TTR) scheme to promote skills, training, and productivity is vital to support the future of the creative industries, a sector worth £71.4 billion a year to the UK economy.

The creative industries are underpinned by a thriving ecosystem of small to medium sized companies, where training is a critical issue. TTR would operate in a similar way to the existing R&D tax credits. SMEs would be able to offset expenditure on training, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for staff and education outreach activities against corporation tax.

“It would also lead to stronger business-educational links. In the case of the games industry, more developers would have the incentive and resources to provide guest lecturers to universities, contribute to course development, participate in school, college and university career days and make work placements available.”

Although many UK employers do provide training, the duration of this training is much shorter than the EU average. Employers face the hurdles of cost and lost time when training their staff. This is particularly true for SMEs.

Natalie Gross, Chair of Education & Public Policy at BIMA, said: “The digital industry is a major growth sector for the UK economy, in particular SMEs. At the same time, there is not enough trained and skilled talent to enable these businesses to thrive and the UK economy to grow at the rates it could. We believe putting incentives for training into the hands of employers is the most expedient and potent way to move the UK digital economy forward, and tax relief will be a step forward in supporting the engine room of the sector, SMEs, to do so.”

Find out more and get involved by dropping me a line – or let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/tiga-and-bima-call-for-tax-relief-scheme-for-the-creative-industry/feed/1Skills gap – meeting with the Schools Ministerhttp://blog.bima.co.uk/skills-gap-%e2%80%93-meeting-with-the-schools-minister/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/skills-gap-%e2%80%93-meeting-with-the-schools-minister/#commentsTue, 08 Jul 2014 10:25:13 +0000http://blog.bima.co.uk/?p=3497More Info]]>BIMA attended a round table with the Rt Hon David Laws MP, Minister of State for Schools, on Monday to discuss the skills gap and raise our views on how Government can help tackle the issue. The discussion covered a lot of ground with our 3 key points being:

1. Careers advice: our research shows that students’ knowledge of digital careers is very low. Raising awareness, whether by reinstating funding for a careers advisory service or by other means, is therefore critical to increasing the flow of homegrown talent.

2. Curriculum: Government needs to understand that teaching coding is not, in itself, a silver bullet as the talent gap is much broader than this. The new curriculum needs longevity and needs to support the development of interdisciplinary skills and foster students’ abilities to think both critically and creatively.

3. Apprenticeship funding: apprenticeship schemes are very welcome but the burden on smaller employers is often prohibitive. It needs to be easier for employers to directly benefit from the £15k funding per apprentice and for this process to be simpler.

Do you have additional or differing points you feel should be raised? We are following up with a written submission early next week so please get in touch by this Friday to contribute your viewpoint. Contact me with your views >>

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/skills-gap-%e2%80%93-meeting-with-the-schools-minister/feed/0Communicating and Defining Britain’s Digital Futurehttp://blog.bima.co.uk/communicating-and-defining-britain%e2%80%99s-digital-future/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/communicating-and-defining-britain%e2%80%99s-digital-future/#commentsThu, 24 Oct 2013 09:39:53 +0000http://blog.bima.co.uk/?p=2855Bristol is ten minutes behind London. This is not some slur on where I grew up, but a geographical feature that became an early issue with the advent of the railway. The new-found ability to connect to UK cities in hours rather than days required a standard time-table.

Whilst the train was a critical element of the Industrial Revolution it has been superseded. This makes George Osborne’s vow to return Britain back to a golden Victorian age of train travel rather depressing. It is also indicative of the political classes, of all hues, inability to understand the impact of the web and digital technologies and how to shape Britain for the Data Revolution.

Grand projects such as HS2, that will cost approximately £40 billion and take over 20 years fail to understand how much technological and behavioural change will occur over that time-span. In August 2012, Google announced their self-driving cars had driven 300,000 accident free miles.

When you consider the cars process 2GB of data every second it makes sense that a company whose goal is to organise the world’s information leads this innovation. The self-driving car will have a transformative effect on the way we live. Changing the distances we are willing to travel to work, the infrastructure and eventually the design and layout of the roads themselves.

But the technology is ahead of the legislation which in many cases was created in a time of horse drawn carriages. As William Gibson opined, “the future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.”

Politicians need to start looking to the future and define Britain’s role in the Digital and Data Revolution. If they are unable to do this we will increasingly fall behind the world. We need visionary leadership that understands how technology is being adopted and reshaping our lives.

Digital means the world is flat and that reducing journey times between our major cities by a few minutes will not enhance our global competitiveness. Ensuring accessible, universal and fast broadband will enable us to connect anywhere, anytime and with anyone. Geographic location is increasingly virtualised and success built on attracting the best talent to make the best teams.

New skills and ways of teaching need to be implemented. Whilst there is burgeoning youth unemployment in Europe, there is a shortage of good talent in mathematics, programming, design and commercial management in the digital industries. Our Industry, with initiatives like BIMA’s D-Day, is reaching out to schools to help children earlier understand the available roles and skills they need for their future.

We need to redefine our views of industries and our need to ‘save’ them. With over a third of retail sales forecast to be made online before 2020 the high street can never be the same. The high street is not dead, though it needs redefinition. Humans are still social and want spaces for physical interaction, so we should expect more experiential stores, both permanent and temporary, which brands use to show-room and support their products and services.

Similarly manufacturing will be transformed by 3D printing which has the potential to redistribute manufacturing to the point of purchase. The need for panel beaters and the fabricators will be replaced by the originators who need ideas and design skills.

For this new future we need the companies that can lead in the commercialisation of creativity and technology. They need to come from across the whole UK and we should jettison a US based cluster models that aims to rebuild Silicon Valley on a London underpass to refocus on our world class Universities which are the main UK centres of innovation.

Politicians need to stop building policies based on the technology that built Victorian society and look forward to develop a bold and visionary world view.

———————

Wyndham Lewis is an executive on the BIMA Board and is also a director of DeltaZoa, which works at the intersection of creativity, technology and data to deliver better businesses. This article first appeared in the August edition of Communicate magazine and it is a plea to politicians of all hues to understand that we need policies fit for the future.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/communicating-and-defining-britain%e2%80%99s-digital-future/feed/1A seat at the top table: BIMA joins the Advertising Associationhttp://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-joins-aa/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-joins-aa/#commentsFri, 12 Oct 2012 15:38:32 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=2098BIMA today announces that we have joined the Advertising Association, giving our members a seat at the top table and a voice with Government, to protect and promote our industry.

We have been working behind the scenes for some time to gain membership of the Advertising Association, and I’m delighted today to announce that we are in.

This gives our members and the wider British interactive sector a role in setting standards and lobbying Government and the EU. It provides a platform for the provision of policy advice as well as a direct connection with every other body across the marketing, advertising and communications sector.

Tapping into this combined weight will also complement and strengthen work we are already undertaking, from the Code of Conduct consultation and roll-out announced at our AGM last week – through to our BIMA D-Day future talent initiative that seeks to address the skills gap.

And as pleased as we are that BIMA now takes its rightful seat at the top table alongside the likes of the IPA, IAB and ISBA, I know the A.A is equally delighted to be welcoming us on board. We’re considered to be ‘the digital guys’ – and as convergence takes over, they will be looking our way to help shape sensible self-regulatory systems, advise policy makers and work together to champion the whole sector.

It’s a challenge we relish and an opportunity we seize on behalf of everyone in digital.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-joins-aa/feed/0Creating the first ever National Occupational Standards for Marketing Communications and Advertisinghttp://blog.bima.co.uk/creating-the-first-ever-national-occupational-standards-for-marketing-communications-and-advertising/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/creating-the-first-ever-national-occupational-standards-for-marketing-communications-and-advertising/#commentsThu, 01 Mar 2012 21:33:15 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=1677More Info]]>BIMA is involved on your behalf in industry-wide efforts to address the skills gap and I am delighted to tell you about our work with the UK Government and other trade bodies in the sector, including the IPA, IAB and MAA, to help develop the first ever National Occupational Standards for Marketing Communications (Advertising).

These Standards are of direct relevance to your organisation and mine. They define what someone working in the sector needs to know and the skills they need to possess. They will form the building blocks of a brand new Apprenticeship and set out a path for those entering the industry. You can even use them to create job descriptions and aid organisational development.

Once the National Occupational Standards have been finalised they will be used to develop the curriculum for the Higher Level Apprenticeship in Marketing Communications and Advertising. The ball is rolling quickly now and we’re within touching distance of being able to recruit keen, bright apprentices to learn on and off the job, usually with full funding already in place.

But as an industry we’re only going to get out of this what we put into it. Skillset has worked with BIMA and others to develop the draft Standards, which now need a sense check from you. As many of you as possible, from as many different parts of your business as possible, need to log onto the consultation site and leave your feedback on the draft Standards.

You don’t have to look at them all – just as many as have relevance to you and that you can manage. You’re invited to correct odd terminology, add things that have been overlooked, scribble all over them and re-write where needed. Any amount of time you can spend on this – from 10 minutes up to an estimated 45 minutes on average – is valuable. The consultation closes on 20 March and I urge you to take part.

One last thing: BIMA is happy to organise focus group sessions for anyone who prefers to comment within a group setting. Email info@bima.co.uk for more information.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/creating-the-first-ever-national-occupational-standards-for-marketing-communications-and-advertising/feed/0Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement: BIMA responsehttp://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-response-to-acta/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-response-to-acta/#commentsFri, 27 Jan 2012 18:46:29 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=1653More Info]]>If you’re concerned at the news that the UK was among the recent signatories of ACTA, you may be interested in the views of BIMA’s Chairman Justin Cooke – set out in context here.

He commented that: “The internet impacts the lives and livelihoods of millions. Any regulation needs to be a very consultative process and I can’t say that we’ve seen that here. Importantly though, ACTA is yet to be ratified by the EU and we’ll be seeking active debate between now and June.”

We’ll be keeping a close eye on developments in the coming months and are keen to hear your views. Comment below or email us at info@bima.co.uk

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-response-to-acta/feed/0Silicon Roundabout and Digital Industry Leaders Welcome Government’s Response to Hargreaves IP Reporthttp://blog.bima.co.uk/silicon-roundabout-and-digital-industry-leaders-welcome-government%e2%80%99s-response-to-hargreaves-ip-report/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/silicon-roundabout-and-digital-industry-leaders-welcome-government%e2%80%99s-response-to-hargreaves-ip-report/#commentsWed, 03 Aug 2011 14:00:45 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=1289More Info]]>BIMA and other leading organisations from the Silicon Roundabout community and the broader digital economy has responded enthusiastically to the Government’s response, released today, to Digital Opportunity: A Review of Intellectual Property and Growth.

Alongside the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), BCS—The Chartered Institute for IT and TechHub, BIMA believes that the Review, which was published by Professor Ian Hargreaves in May, represents a milestone for the UK digital economy. It recognises—as many digital businesses and entrepreneurs have known for a long time—that the nation’s intellectual property laws, and in particular copyright law, must adapt to change.

Today the Government came down firmly in support of the Review and committed to implement its recommendations as soon as practicable. The undersigned organisations welcome in particular the Government’s commitment to:

Expand the range of copyright exceptions to include private copying (format-shifting), library archiving, non-commercial research and parody, and ensure that the exceptions cannot be overridden by contract. These exceptions will both bring the law into line with practice and permit wider uses of copyrighted materials without undermining the purpose of copyright.

Pursue at EU level an exception for text- and data-mining for commercial research, including especially medical and scientific research. Opening text- and data-mining to the widest range of innovative thinkers will be one of the most effective tools in promoting scientific progress in the 21st century and is sure to lead to many vital medical and scientific discoveries.

Create an orphan works scheme, and pursue extended collective licensing proposals. Too much of what society has created is locked away because its creators cannot be found, and these schemes have the potential to open up important works for public consumption.

Allocate copyright enforcement resources to the most serious problems, including especially organised criminal activities. This commitment implicitly acknowledges that there is a difference between the incidental and inadvertent forms of copyright infringement that are realities of Internet use and do little harm to creators, on the one hand, and the more malicious, widespread behaviour that actually undermines the incentives copyright is intended to create, on the other.

Give the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) expanded resources and powers, in particular to issue copyright opinions. The pace of technological change means that future-proofing copyright law is essential, and the IPO is in the best position to monitor developments and bring forward modifications as needed.

Assist with the creation of a Digital Copyright Exchange, and in particular ensure that rights holders are incentivised to participate in it. The success of a DCE will depend on having near-universal participation, and while compulsory participation would not comply with international law, a strong system of incentives will give the DCE a chance of being the revolutionary tool it is intended to be.

Jeff Lynn, Chairman of Coadec, said: Those of us who believe that the future of Britain’s economy depends largely on the digital innovations occurring among the Silicon Roundabout community and throughout the country are very happy with the Government’s response to the Hargreaves recommendations. We applaud strongly the commitment to making these pivotally important changes a reality, and we look forward to working with the Government on the detail of each of the forthcoming proposals and consultations.

The undersigned organisations represent the future of Britain’s digital economy. Our members and supporters are the entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs, professionals and agencies that are working tirelessly to make the United Kingdom the world leader in digital innovation and to create wealth and jobs for the British people.

We have been delighted by the consistent rhetoric of this Government highlighting how crucial Britain’s digital economy is to the country’s future, and we agree wholeheartedly that the sector must play a vital role in supporting the country’s recovery. It is now time for the Government’s fine words to be put into meaningful action if the sector is to flourish and play its role in helping to drive economic growth in the United Kingdom.

We are writing today to express our strongly held view that the Government must move forward with the swift and fulsome implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Review of IP and Growth, chaired by Professor Ian Hargreaves, for changes to Britain’s copyright law framework.

Our organisations believe that the Hargreaves report represents a watershed for this country’s digital economy. The report recognises—as many digital businesses and entrepreneurs have known for a long time—that the nation’s intellectual property laws, and in particular copyright law, must adapt to business, social and technological change.

As Professor Hargreaves says, “Laws designed more than three centuries ago with the express purpose of creating economic incentives for innovation by protecting creators’ rights are today obstructing innovation and economic growth.”

The recommendations set forth in the report would, if implemented, go a long way toward righting that imbalance. The recommendations have received strong support from leaders of the Internet economy, and at the recent e-G8 meeting in Paris, they were cited as best practice for copyright law in the digital age.

Innovation and commercialisation by digital businesses is a key component of Britain’s economy and will play an ever-more important role in years to come. In the interest of ensuring that Britain has a dynamic, world-leading digital economy, it is essential that the Government heed the Hargreaves report closely and implement its recommendations thoroughly.

Certain of the recommendations can be implemented by Act of Parliament or statutory instrument, and we call on the Government to draft and introduce the necessary legislation as soon as possible. These recommendations, which we refer to as the “straightforward recommendations”, include:

Adopting exceptions to copyright for format-shifting, parody, non-commercial research and library archivingProhibiting copyright exceptions from being overridden by contractEnabling licensing of orphan worksGiving the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) the power to issue statutory opinions to help clarify copyright law and take other measures to help ensure that Britain’s IP system remains focused on promoting innovation and growthCausing the IPO to improve the accessibility of the IP system to smaller companies

As you will appreciate, implementation of some of Professor Hargreaves’s other recommendations will be more complicated, either because they require EU involvement or because they are non-legislative measures. These “complex recommendations” include:

Promoting at EU level copyright exceptions for text and data analyticsPromoting the inclusion in the EU framework of a mechanism for adapting copyright exceptions to new technologies as they ariseSupporting moves by the European Commission for establishing a cross-border copyright licensing frameworkFacilitating the creation of a comprehensive ‘Digital Copyright Exchange’ through which works can be licensed in a transparent and simple mannerWhile we believe that it is imperative that the Government begin the necessary processes for implementing the complex recommendations as soon as possible, it must do so without slowing the implementation of the straightforward ones.

We therefore call on the Government to:

Put the straightforward recommendations on a fast track and ensure that they become part of law quickly—preferably before the end of the year, and in no event later than the end of the 2011-2012 Parliamentary session; and Work diligently at EU level and with relevant stakeholders to make the complex recommendations a reality in the shortest timeframe possible.We would welcome the opportunity to elaborate on our views at any point, either through further communications or in a meeting with you or your officials. Please contact us through The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), at committee@coadec.com or 020 8528 1444.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec)Jeff Lynn, Chairman

BCS-The Chartered Institute for ITIan Ryder, Deputy Chief Executive

TechHubElizabeth Varley, CEO and Co-Founder

British Interactive Media Association (BIMA)Justin Cooke, Chairman

BootlawBarry Vitou and Danvers Baillieu, Founders

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/a-letter-asking-the-rt-hon-david-cameron-mp-prime-minister-to-urgently-implement-the-hargreaves-ip-recommendations/feed/0The Digital Economy and Government – A Coadec Eventhttp://blog.bima.co.uk/the-digital-economy-and-government-a-coadec-event/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/the-digital-economy-and-government-a-coadec-event/#commentsTue, 14 Dec 2010 14:57:13 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=1064More Info]]>Hello from your friends at The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec). On Wednesday, 12 January, we’re going to be hosting a panel discussion and networking evening – called “The Digital Economy and Government: Challenges and Opportunities for 2011″ – and we’d love to see a whole lot of BIMA members there. Tickets are free, but registration is required at: http://coadec12jan.eventbrite.com.

The event will run from 18.30 to 21.30 at TechHub, 76-80 City Road, London EC1Y 2BJ. The panel will begin at 19.30 sharp, and drinks and food will be served before and after.

Coadec is grateful to our sponsors for the evening:

Psonar is a social music community letting people access their music, wherever they are, and explore other people’s music. It lets people put music at the heart of their social interractions and empowers artists to engage directly with their fans.

Capital SCF is a technology-focused independent corporate finance boutique headquartered in London. It provides high quality, independent advice to the senior management teams and boards of the European technology industry’s innovative incumbent and disruptor companies on strategic matters critical to their growth and success. Capital SCF’s directors combine a broad network of global relationships with deep sector knowledge and specialist M&A experience to deliver a superior, senior level of service for clients who value experience, judgment, insight and innovative thinking. In addition to mergers & acquisitions advice, Capital SCF leverages its team’s extensive corporate finance and capital markets experience to advise companies on capital structure and capital raising choices, selectively raising private capital for clients.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/the-digital-economy-and-government-a-coadec-event/feed/0Ofcom Consultation on the Digital Economy Act: We Want Your Inputhttp://blog.bima.co.uk/ofcom-consultation-on-the-digital-economy-act-we-want-your-input/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/ofcom-consultation-on-the-digital-economy-act-we-want-your-input/#commentsTue, 29 Jun 2010 17:09:15 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=985More Info]]>Hello again from The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec). As we mentioned in our post a few weeks ago, we’re working together with BIMA on policy issues that affect the world of digital innovation. The most pressing one at the moment is the Digital Economy Act, which was rushed through Parliament in April and, through its copyright infringement provisions, threatens to undermine the health and vibrancy of Britain’s digital economy.

Ofcom released a consultation paper on Phase 1 of the Act’s implementation last month. Coadec has now had the chance to meet with Ofcom and do a thorough review of their plans, and while we think some of their proposals are very good (at least in light of the limitations imposed by the Act), others raise big concerns.

We’re now working to draft our response to Ofcom — in order to tell them what parts we want them to change and also what we hope they’ll keep even in the face of opposition from other stakeholders — and we want your input. We’ve prepared an overview document, here; this document summarises Ofcom’s proposals and sets out our initial views on each. All of our views are open to change based on your responses, so if you’d like to contribute to this process, please read through the document and send us an e-mail (committee AT coadec.com) with any thoughts or questions you may have. In order to give us time to draft and finalise the response paper, please send any comments by no later than next Monday, 5 July.

Meanwhile, if you’d like to get more involved in Coadec, please sign up to our Supporters List, follow us on Twitter or drop us a line anytime.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/ofcom-consultation-on-the-digital-economy-act-we-want-your-input/feed/0Why the Digital Economy Act is Bad for the Digital Economyhttp://blog.bima.co.uk/why-the-digital-economy-act-is-bad-for-the-digital-economy/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/why-the-digital-economy-act-is-bad-for-the-digital-economy/#commentsThu, 03 Jun 2010 11:20:26 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=925More Info]]>As Justin Cooke announced last week, BIMA has partnered with The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) to work together on policy issues that affect the world of digital innovation. I’m the Chairman of Coadec, and from time to time I’ll post on this blog to let BIMA members know what we’re up to and how you can get involved.

At the moment, Coadec’s main focus is the Digital Economy Act, which was rushed through Parliament in the final days of the last government. For those unfamiliar with the Act, the main problems it raises include:

Arbitrary disconnection. If a copyright owner believes that its rights are being infringed by a user at a certain IP address, the owner can write a warning letter to the relevant ISP, which then must pass the warning on to the user. If a few warnings go to the same user, the ISP can be obligated to cut off the user’s access. At no point in this process is the copyright owner required to prove infringement: the user is presumed guilty until he or she shoulders the burden of going through a potentially expensive and time-consuming appeals process.

Reduction in public wi-fi. A by-product of the disconnection provisions is that it will be nearly impossible for small businesses, community institutions and others to offer public wi-fi. Anytime someone browsing the web at a café is accused of infringing a copyright, it will be the café that gets the warning letter, and soon enough their wi-fi will get disconnected.

Website blocking. A separate provision allows the government to block websites that are likely to be used in connection with any activity that infringes copyright. In practice, this means that anyone who maintains a website that allows user-generated content to be posted runs the risk of having the website shutdown if it turns out that even a relatively small portion of that content infringes a copyright. There is also the risk that web locker and infrastructure as a service platforms may be blocked for their entire user base because of a small quantity of infringing content.

If you’re a business or an entrepreneur working in digital media to create the next big thing, and you find that (1) your Internet connection is randomly cut off because you may (or may not) have viewed some copyright-infringing material, (2) you can no longer access public wi-fi and (3) even if you could get Internet access you can’t allow user-generated content on your website and the SaaS apps that you run stop working as the underlying infrastructure gets shut down, you’re going to have a pretty big problem, assuming you want to stay in Britain. In turn, Britain is going to have a pretty big problem if the people who would be the key drivers of the digital economy—which by all accounts will be one of the main sources for growth and job creation in the coming years—are forced to choose between ceasing innovation or moving abroad.

There is still hope that the worst effects of the Act may not come to pass, and Coadec is working within both the political and regulatory processes to push for repeal or amendment and for sensible implementation of the parts of the Act that remain on the books. We’ll let you know more about our involvement in the process and how you can help shortly. In the meantime, if you’d like to support our work and follow more closely what we’re up to, please sign up to our Supporters List, follow us on Twitter (@Coadec) and visit our blog.

We’re very excited about working with BIMA, and if you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to e-mail us anytime at committee AT coadec.com.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/why-the-digital-economy-act-is-bad-for-the-digital-economy/feed/1BIMA joins Coalition for a Digital Economy!http://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-joins-coalition-for-a-digital-economy/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-joins-coalition-for-a-digital-economy/#commentsThu, 27 May 2010 16:59:18 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=900More Info]]>BIMA is delighted to announce a new partnership with the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), the voluntary organisation working to support legislation and government policies that foster a lasting, sustainable and innovative digital economy for Britain.

Coadec is made up of a wide range of members of the UK innovation community, including entrepreneurs, leaders of tech-driven startups and SMEs, inventors and developers, writers and journalists, and many others who believe that the future of Britain lies in the success of its digital economy.

Coalition for a Digital Economy

Coadec’s current primary focus is pushing for amendments to, and sensible implementation of, the copyright infringement provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2010. Coadec welcomes suggestions for other policy areas in which our input and action can benefit the digital economy.

“Through this partnership, we will be able reach out to BIMA’s members and supporters to give them a voice on political and legislative issues that affect the digital economy (such as the Digital Economy Act) said Coadec Chairman Jeff Lynn.

“We look forward to working alongside Coadec and supporting each other’s initiatives and will announce more details about our collaboration in the near future” commented BIMA Chair Justin Cooke.
To support Coadec please join their Supporters List, follow them on Twitter (@Coadec) and join their Facebook group.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/bima-joins-coalition-for-a-digital-economy/feed/1Big day for Digital Britain – today!http://blog.bima.co.uk/big-day-for-digital-britain-today/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/big-day-for-digital-britain-today/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2009 09:01:40 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=638More Info]]>Today Ben Bradshaw MP will announce the wish list that is the result of the Digital Britain consultations and report undertaken by Lord Carter. It’ll be a long list. The Interim report published in January had 22 action points. The actual report will likely have twice that, and BIMA members should take note of the implications.

BIMA will be there today to listen and constribute to the response, and I’ll publish a summary of the report on this blog. Watch this space.

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/big-day-for-digital-britain-today/feed/0Digital Britain. Comments in today please.http://blog.bima.co.uk/digital-britain-comments-in-today-please/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/digital-britain-comments-in-today-please/#commentsFri, 13 Mar 2009 12:23:56 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/?p=467More Info]]>I’ve commented today on the Digital Britain report. Pick up on the debate #carter #digitalbritain if you have a moment today and agree/disagree/add. What I’ve said is that I’d like to understand, explicitly, what vision the report will inspire for the creative industries of Britain, in particular amongst the digital practitioner businesses which are, on the whole, owner managed small to medium enterprises. The interim report appears obsessed with major infrastructure issues, ultimately shrinking publicly owned media companies (see all BBC/C4/C5 merger posts) but without a strategy for the next generation of companies that will emerge in the next ten years.

I’ve heard Lord Carter say that Britain is the best in the world in the advertising business. Maybe twenty years ago, but in the meantime all the major advertising conglomerates operating in the UK, with the exception of WPP, are a) American or French owned, delivering profits elsewhere, and/or b) not generating as much award winning advertising as perhaps we imagine, and/or c) continue to struggle with the impact of digital on their businesses and on consumers.

The British digital creative community [that’s you], however, continues to grow in strength and quality, developing web content, brand utilities, applications that are recognised globally. And is far more in tune with the social impact of digital technologies. I’m not sure we’ve been consulted at all.

There’s an enormous amount of areas to consider – the games industry, for example, isn’t mentioned at all, despite the amount of game play entertainment consumed daily. Another point is that we maintain our dialogue on the products of California’s silicon valley brains trust and entrepreneurial community [bebo notwithstanding]. A Digital Britain should compete, not copy. Mark Earls @herdmeister posted elsewhere about human connections being forgotten in the process of creating this report. He’s got a point. Pipes and tubes are one thing. But defining what goes down those pipes and tubes only by 20th century standards is a missed opportunity. We need to have more focus on creating businesses that will provide inspiration for the world, not just provide 2mb lines that won’t be enough anyway. @AlastairDuncan

]]>http://blog.bima.co.uk/digital-britain-comments-in-today-please/feed/0Digital Britain. Isn’t this a big deal?http://blog.bima.co.uk/digital-britain-isnt-this-a-big-deal/
http://blog.bima.co.uk/digital-britain-isnt-this-a-big-deal/#commentsFri, 30 Jan 2009 13:13:48 +0000http://bimablog.isledev.co.uk/digital-britain-isnt-this-a-big-deal/More Info]]>The Digital Britain report is about establishing a proper platform for the digital economy, and will have far reaching impact across many industries, not just this one. From a creative perspective, the Government is keen to leverage Britain’s internationally-recognised talent in online, and in particular mobile and small screen development, as well as move on from a leading position in global entertainment formats, advertising, marketing services and research. There is indeed a lot to do to take the economy back from gloom to boom, but there is no doubt that a strong position in digital knowledge and understanding around content generation and ‘how to code’ is as important as the massive infrastructure issues facing the telecoms sector to deliver economically viable broadband to everyone in the nation. And what is the ‘second public service’ provider to consist of? All this and more will be debated over the coming months. I felt the earlier Creative Britain report was too much looking backwards to how great it was being a digitally illiterate creative director in the sixties. The Digital Britain report is about looking forward to how great it should be being a digitally literate creative business in the future. There’s big gaps – the games industry, the internet start up sector – but there’s an entire section dedicated to digital skills, and another to digital content. Creating the digital economy requires a vibrant digital sector. That’s, er, us. So let’s give it a go.
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